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This single serving Cioppino is a rich, tomato-based seafood stew filled with fish, shrimp, and aromatic spices. Ready in just 15 minutes, it’s quick, flavorful, and perfect for a satisfying meal.
Serve your cioppino with crusty French Bread, Butter Swim Biscuits, a crisp Cucumber Salad, or Buttered Noodles. Each one pairs well with the rich, flavorful broth.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fast & Easy: Cooks in just 15 minutes.
- Full of Flavor: Our recipe features a rich broth with seafood, herbs, and spices.
- Flexible: Customize with your favorite seafood.
- Perfectly Portioned: Made for one without the burden of leftovers.
Cioppino is a hearty seafood stew with a rich tomato-based broth. It originated in San Francisco’s Italian-American fishing communities, where fishermen would toss their daily catch into a pot to create a flavorful, comforting meal. In this recipe, I use shrimp and white fish that are easy to find, keeping the dish simple while still delivering incredible flavor. I love how a few basic ingredients come together to make something truly special, perfect for a satisfying homemade dinner.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this easy cioppino recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Olive Oil: I use extra virgin olive oil in this cioppino, as well as in most recipes on One Dish Kitchen. It’s unrefined, high-quality, and packed with flavor. You can substitute with a lighter olive oil or avocado oil if preferred.
- Onions and Garlic: These add essential flavor to the stew.
- Tomatoes: Use 1 to 2 Roma tomatoes (about 3 ounces total). Any variety works, but Roma holds up well in the broth. Extra tomatoes? Make a fresh Tomato Salad.
- Seasonings: Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, and black pepper bring depth to the stew. No smoked paprika? Use regular paprika or a pinch of cayenne.
- Salt: I use a small amount of kosher salt, but adjust to taste. If using broth instead of water, you may not need extra salt.
- Water or Broth: Use water or swap in seafood, vegetable, or chicken broth for extra flavor.
- Fish: This recipe uses 3 ounces of cod, but tilapia, catfish, or another white fish works too. Leftover fish? Use it in other seafood recipes like Fish Tacos or Seafood Gumbo.
- Shrimp: Use 3 to 4 medium shrimp—or more if you’d like. Leftover shrimp can go into Shrimp Étouffée, Shrimp and Grits, or Shrimp Fettuccine.
Recipe Variations
Here are a few ways to customize your cioppino:
- Mediterranean Flavor: Add olives and capers for a more robust, salty flavor.
- Creamy Cioppino: Stir in a splash of heavy cream or coconut milk for a richer broth.
- Spicy Version: Add red pepper flakes or a pinch of cayenne for extra heat.
- Fresh Herbs: Finish with basil or parsley for a brighter, fresher taste.
How To Make Cioppino
These photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this single serve cioppino recipe. See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Sauté the Aromatics: In a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often, until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add Seasonings: Stir in the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and paprika. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Simmer the Broth: Pour in the water and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- Cook the Seafood: Add the cod and shrimp, then return to a simmer. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until the seafood is fully cooked.
- Season and Serve: Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Expert Tips
- Wine Option: This recipe is wine-free, but you can add 1/4 cup of dry red or white wine after sautéing the onions and garlic. Let it reduce by half before adding the tomatoes.
- Seafood Options: Use any combination of seafood you like. Scallops, clams, or mussels all work well.
- Add Heat: For extra spice, stir in a small pinch of red pepper flakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, just thaw it first and pat it dry before adding it to the stew.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, warm it in a saucepan over low heat until hot, or microwave in short intervals.
Yes, just use a larger pot and double all ingredients for cioppino for two.
More Single Serving Soup Recipes
If you enjoy this cioppino, you might like these other single serving soups:
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this small batch cioppino recipe or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Cioppino For One
Watch How To Make This
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 1 clove garlic -chopped
- 2 medium Roma tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon salt -plus more to taste
- ¾ cup water
- 3 ounces cod -cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 medium shrimp -peeled and deveined
Instructions
- Sauté the Aromatics: In a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often, until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add Seasonings: Stir in the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, paprika, and salt. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Simmer the Broth: Pour in the water and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- Cook the Seafood: Add the cod and shrimp, then return to a simmer. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until the seafood is fully cooked.
- Season and Serve: Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Notes
- Wine Option: This recipe is wine-free, but you can add 1/4 cup of dry red or white wine after sautéing the onions and garlic. Let it reduce by half before adding the tomatoes.
- Seafood Options: Use any combination of seafood you like. Scallops, clams, or mussels all work well.
- Add Heat: For extra spice, stir in a small pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Make More: Double the recipe if needed—just use a larger pot and double all ingredients.
- Storage: Store in the fridge, covered, for up to 4 days. Reheat in a saucepan or microwave until hot.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This recipe is brilliant! So much flavor in so few calories. Thank you❤
Really really tasty dish, I added capers at the end and added chilli flakes into the oil at the start. Next time I’ll add more white fish in lieu of the prawns. Also steamed broccoli al denté and roughly chopped and added at the end. Loved this dish 🙏
Can you freeze this soup
Yes, you can freeze cioppino. It will keep well in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Just had to write to let you know how great this recipe is — not to mention easy and quick too! Very tasty as well. Second time I’ve made it today, and added scallops. Couldn’t be any better. Thank you for scaling this to a single (or double) serving!
Joanie I have had the worst luck making this dish using other recipes. My wife doesn’t care for it so making smaller portions has not gone well for me. Finally, thankfully, you have now given me a recipe I can easily double (because I will want more for lunch the next day).
I have all the ingredients on hand now, including some crusty french bread, so this is dinner for me tonight! Fear not for my wife, I am making grilled salmon filet with sautéed asparagus and crusty french bread for her.
Thanks Joanie!
I’m thrilled to hear that our recipe has worked out so well for you! It’s great that you can easily double it for an extra serving – perfect for lunch the next day. And it sounds like you have a fantastic dinner plan with the crusty French bread. Your wife’s meal with the grilled salmon filet and sautéed asparagus sounds delicious too. Both dishes are sure to make for a wonderful dinner.
Absolutely delicious!! Will be making this often
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, thank you.
This was delicious.
I used tilapia and bok crab claws. I didn’t have fresh tomatoes so I used 1/2 cup diced tomatoes and used chicken stock instead of water (a habit of mine).
I will definitely make this again.